Hot Doug's

I have a confession to make. Being from Chicago, people have often asked me where to get the best hot dog in the city and I undoubtedly tell them to go to Hot Doug's - they offer an eclectic selection of hot dogs and sausages that have been praised by most all Chicago food critics. The only problem with my recommendation is...gulp...that I'd never actually been to Hot Doug's. I'd planned to go a bunch of times, but getting there was always pretty inconvenient for me. It's only accessible by the blue line or a bus and lets face it...I'm terrible with bus schedules. Every time I tried to take a bus in college I would end up on the opposite side of town which would result in either a 30 minute walk home or excessive, border-line stalking phone calls to my roommates trying to convince them to come pick me up.

But anyway, excuses aside, I finally bit the bullet and made my first trip to Hot Doug's so that I actually had first-hand experience when recommending Hot Doug's to others. A word to the wise, plan on waiting a longgg time if you do decide to trek it out there. I ended up waiting an hour just to order with a majority of that time spent in the cold in a huge line outside of the restaurant (see photo below as a reference for the line). 

Even though the wait was a bit excessive, the food was just as incredible as I had imagined. I ordered a Chicago-Style Dog, the Sun-Dried Tomato and Basil Pork Sausage with Vodka-Cream Marinara and Burrata Cheese and the Swedish Potato Sausage with Dill-Garlic Mustard and Caraway Havarti Cheese (pictured below). In addition to my embarrassing display of encased meats, I also added a order of duck fat fries to my platter - yes, those are fries that have been cooked in duck fat and yes, they are delicious. 

I can now confidently say that I would recommend Hot Doug's to anyone that wants to get a taste of the best dogs that the city has to offer - just be prepared to wait awhile, and be surprised by a menu that mixes high-end foods like foie gras with your hot dog or sausage.